Many people use their personal computer (PC) for entertainment purposes. Personal computers require a certain amount of space and are usually located in an office type environment. Due to the increasing entertainment value of the personal computer, it is often desirable to have the personal computer available for use in a more comfortable place such as a living room or bedroom.
A quandary might arise, for example, if a PC, having a digital television card, is located in a home office and the home theatre, for viewing television programs, is located in the living room. A user who desires to watch digital television (TV) by using the digital TV function of the PC has no choice but to watch it on the PC's monitor. The user can not take advantage of the digital TV function of the PC in combination with the home theatre monitor located in the living room.
Typical home audio-visual equipment systems include a number of components. For example, a radio receiver, a compact disk (CD) player, a pair of speakers, a TV, a video cassette recorder (VCR), a tape deck, and the like. These components are connected to each other via a set of wires. The radio receiver or the tuner is usually the central component of the home audio-visual system. The tuner has a number of specific inputs for coupling to the other components. The tuner has a corresponding number of control buttons or control switches that provide a limited degree of controllability and interoperability for the components. A user controls the home audio-visual system by manipulating the buttons and switches on the tuner, or alternatively, manipulating buttons on a hand-held remote control unit. These features help the user view the video and hear audio but lack the ability to integrate the innovative features of the PC. The viewer who wishes to use the personal computer's capabilities from the comfort of the living room is unable to accomplish that purpose because he or she can not input commands.
The normal hardware compliment of a PC includes a central processing unit (CPU), a keyboard, a mouse, a video display adapter, a video display monitor and a mass storage device such as a hard disk drive. Many PCs include other special purpose hardware devices such as a modem, sound card, network interface adapter card, compact disk read only memory (CDROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), and digital TV card to mention a few that may be useful for home entertainment. When a home has multiple computers, a home communications network may be one way to make all PC functions available from any computer.
An important requirement for any home network is simplicity and reliability. The home network should be easy to use, and quick to install. Some users want the functionality of a local area network (LAN) with voice networking, shared Internet access, and smart device control but many can not operate a complex system and few want to maintain a complex system.
Alternating current (AC) power lines of most homes are readily available as network cable elements. The AC lines are sometimes used as a transport medium to send and receive discrete frequency-based control, monitoring and communications messages to smart devices that manage lighting and environmental systems. They may also be used as voice-communication elements for telephone extensions, computer-modem access and intercom devices through standard electrical outlets. Applications requiring a high data rate however, can not usually make use of power line networks.
Wireless home-networking technology may be used both for line-of-sight, IR, unidirectional, hand-held controller applications and for non-line-of-sight radio frequency (RF) applications. Typical uses today are local control for VCRs, TVs and some security and alarm applications. Because of its limited bandwidth and susceptibility to RF noise, wireless home networking is considered as an inadequate home-network choice.
PCs may also be accessed and controlled remotely by other PCs using a hardware network adapter installed in the PC. This network adapter is connected directly to the other PCs or attached to a LAN. These devices typically require network adapter software to be installed to permit a device to access or control the PC. PCs can also be accessed and controlled remotely if communication software is installed in the PC and the PC has a modem. This would permit the PC to be remotely controlled over standard telephone lines or a dedicated cable by another device having access to a modem and compatible interface software. Control of the PC in this manner for a home entertainment network is not practical, as it requires an additional dedicated telephone line or other dedicated lines.
A keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) switch, such as Dakota Computer Solutions model 1010-02, exists that permits using a central KVM switch to control and access multiple PC's however, the KVM switch lacks the capability to support keyboards or other control devices existing at both the remote console and Host PC.
Another device, such as the Computer Peripheral Systems Inc., model SWTSPRRC, exists that permits a PC to be re-booted remotely however; the device does not provide the ability to substitute a video display and keyboard/mouse with the remote video display and keyboard/mouse.